Are you getting enough sleep? Here's how much is recommended for your age

Different groups of people have vastly different sleep requirements and they change throughout the course of one's life. Take a look at how much is recommended for you.

Once people hit 18 they should be having seven to nine hours of sleep a night, according to the US-based National Sleep Foundation. Source: Getty / Kiwis/Getty Images/iStockphoto

KEY POINTS

• Many Australians are dissatisfied with their sleep, according to new research.
• Sleep requirements can change over the course of your life.
• Some people, including those who are pregnant or live with disability, are likely to need extra sleep.

If you feel as though you're not getting as much sleep as you need, you're probably not.

New research published in the peer-reviewed Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health has found as many as one in four young Australians aren't satisfied with their sleep.

More than 1,200 young adults - aged 22 - were involved in the study, which looked at sleep quality based on factors including sleep duration, how quickly you fall asleep, satisfaction and regularity.

Around 30 per cent said they slept less than seven to nine hours a night, and 18 per cent took more than 30 minutes to fall asleep.

Their analysis found poor sleep had knock-on effects such as impaired daytime alertness.

Self-reported low sleep satisfaction was also a strong indicator for lower mental and physical health.

Terry Slevin, CEO of the Public Health Association of Australia, says the findings of the study have big implications for policymakers in the public health space.

"Increasingly the evidence is forming that suggests that sleep is an important public health issue," he told SBS News.

"Having good quality and consistent and sufficient sleep is increasingly a public health challenge that we need to do more about and help people address in a consistent manner."

But it's not just young people who are waking up groggy.

Another recent study found one in three Australians of all ages were losing sleep due to the cost of living crisis.

Different groups of people have vastly different sleep requirements and they change throughout the course of one's life.

This is how your sleep needs change with age, according to the US-based National Sleep Foundation. Source: SBS News / Kenneth Macleod

How much sleep do you need?

The Sleep Health Foundation, an Australian charity that advocates for healthy sleep, has recommendations based on the report of an expert panel convened by the US-based National Sleep Foundation.

Newborns - 0 to three months - need a lot; around 14-17 hours a day is recommended.

For infants four to 11 months, the need drops to around 12-15 hours.

Toddlers one to two-years-old ought to have from 11-14 hours and naps are recommended.

The foundation says it's normal for children to have daytime naps until three to five years old, but if they often nap past this age they may not be sleeping enough at night.

Children aged six to 13 should get nine to 11 hours.

Self-reported low sleep satisfaction was a strong indicator for lower mental and physical health. Credit: Unsplash/Jamie Street

For teenagers 14-17 it's normal to want to stay up late and wake up late, and eight to 10 hours of sleep are recommended.

Once people hit 18 they should be having seven to nine hours of sleep a night, and this stays unchanged until they reach 65.

Older people actually need less sleep, only around seven to eight hours a night.

There are exceptions to all this of course - pregnant people and those with disability and chronic illnesses are more likely to need extra sleep, as are people who exercise intensely.